After navigating an injury problem that has steadily worsened throughout 2024, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is now beginning to see some relief.
Klopp may have up to ten members of his first team out injured for Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, but after so long without a slew of key players, it appears like the troubles are finally starting to ease.
Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajcetic, Curtis Jones, and Ben Doak may still be out, and the Reds are unlikely to travel to Old Trafford without Ibrahima Konate, but the manager’s Friday press conference at the AXA Training Centre provided more than a few encouraging updates.
Ryan Gravenberchis was expected to return after missing the last three weeks due to Moises Caicedo’s Carabao Cup final defeat, while Bobby Clark’s prognosis was good after being pulled off in the second half of Thursday’s 6-1 thrashing of Sparta Prague.
Gravenberch, who returned to training last week, might be called up to the squad for United’s game this weekend, boosting the ranks at a key moment in the season.
When asked who of his injured players will return after the international break, which begins with a visit from Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton on March 31, Klopp said: “Curtis and I think the other two, Diogo and Trent, for the week after [the international break].” “They have a chance.”
Matip’s season – and, given his dwindling Liverpool contract, his Anfield career – may be over after an ACL injury against Fulham in early December, and there is growing concern that Thiago’s contribution this season will be negligible after his brief return to Arsenal – his first appearance in ten months in February – ended with more muscle problems, but Klopp’s overall situation appears to be much healthier than it has in months.
His efforts to wade through the problems have resembled those of a hapless plumber at times, with more and more damaging leaks springing up whenever one hole appears to be plugged, and the situation at Brentford last month reached farcical proportions when Jota and Jones were forced off in the first half before Darwin Nunez and Darwin Nunez suffered their own injuries, causing both to miss the League Cup final win over Chelsea.
Salah, who has been dealing with hamstring ailments, has started only two games this year, while Nunez, along with Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, has only made his comeback in a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago.
The issue with Alisson remains a mystery, since Klopp did not include the goalkeeper in his Friday updates. The Brazil international has missed the last eight games and shows no indications of making a comeback. Caoimhin Kelleher has held down the fort admirably during his colleague’s recovery.
Liverpool’s performance in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City, in which they went toe-to-toe with Europe’s treble-winning champions while missing as many as ten players and with Salah and Andy Robertson only fit enough for the bench, must surely have encouraged both the manager and the fans that whatever injury problems await them from now on can be navigated smoothly.
The last few months should have been enough evidence, but there was something admirable about how an injured Liverpool fought back against Pep Guardiola’s team, particularly in the second half when they poured on the pressure but couldn’t force a deserving winner.
And, while that belief has grown as a result of how the Reds have handled what could have been a debilitating catastrophe, Friday’s reports portrayed a more optimistic, thrilling picture for the other side of the international break.
Klopp will most likely never have the full complement of players to work with that he craves, but after so many disappointing bulletins from his medical department, the tide appears to be shifting.
